Of all unmet needs in our health care system, those of obesity may be the greatest. About 300,000 people die every year in America from obesity-related causes, but we do not treat the disease as life-threatening.

Despite the many messages in popular culture that we get to the contrary, there really is no such thing as “easy weight loss”. There are a lot of things that impact our ability to lose and maintain weight, such as genetics, environment and behavior, just to name a few.

According to a recent study, weight loss from bariatric surgery appears to reverse obesity-related premature aging. Two years after surgery, patients in the study showed fewer signs, which included less inflammation.